10/5/13 10:27 AM EDT

President Obama was once a high-profile first-term senator, but he doesn't think the current crop -- including Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio -- is serving the country well as they seek out controversy.

"I recognize that in today's media age, being controversial, taking controversial positions, rallying the most extreme parts of your base, whether it's left or right, is a lot of times the fastest way to get attention and raise money," he said in an interview with the Associated Press released Saturday. "But it's not good for government."

When Obama got to the Senate, he said, "my attitude was I should just keep a pretty low profile in the Senate and just do the work." While the media did seek him out, "I didn't go around courting the media."

In a particular jab that seemed aimed at Cruz, who is seen as a driving force behind efforts to shutdown the government over Obamacare, the president added: "And I certainly didn't go around trying to shut down the government."